William Francis Bender Jr., computer expert

William Francis Bender Jr., a computer and data processing executive, died Tuesday of heart failure at St. Agnes Hospital. He was 69.

Born in Baltimore, Mr. Bender lived his entire life in Catonsville.

After graduating in 1960 from Mount St. Joseph High School in Irvington, he earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1964 from what is now Loyola University Maryland.

He went to work as a manager trainee for the old Union Trust Co.

"Computers were just coming in, and the bank wanted bankers to be trained by bankers and not computer people, and that's what Bill did," said his wife of 42 years, the former Joan Zins, a registered nurse.

Mr. Bender rose to become a systems analyst at the bank and in 1969 went to work for the old First National Bank as a computer analyst until he was promoted to vice president of its data processing system.

He was responsible for redesigning the bank's computer center at its Charles Street headquarters and in a building at Paca and Pratt streets. He was in charge of designing a new computer headquarters center when it relocated to Millsboro, Del.

Mr. Bender worked from 1988 to 1989 for the Computer Task Group, which placed computer consultants throughout the nation. He was an assistant vice president for the Disc Co., where he wrote sales proposals.

From 1994 until his death, Mr. Bender was a contracts administrator for Chesapeake Systems Solutions.

Mr. Bender had been on the boards of the Independent Dialysis Foundation and the Catonsville Historical Society.

He was an enthusiastic Orioles and Ravens fan and enjoyed thoroughbred horse racing. For the last 20 years, he played golf at the Rolling Road Golf Club, where he was also secretary of the board.

Mr. Bender was a communicant of St. Mark Roman Catholic Church, 30 Melvin Ave., Catonsville, where a Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Bender is survived by a daughter, Sandra M. Hughes of Sykesville; a sister, Elizabeth Wood of San Luis Obispo, Calif.; and three grandchildren.